Counterbalancing device.



0. B. JACOBS.

COUNTERBALANCING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man JUNE 30. 1915.

WITNESSES IN l/E/V TOR Daniel 5. Jacobs %7 I L By W W 4770mm THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 510., WASHINGTON, D. C.

DANIEL B. JACOBS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COUNTERBALANCING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May so, 1916.

Application filed June 30, 1915. Serial No. 37,212.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL B. James, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Gounterbalancing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to grain harvesters, and its object is to provide a new and improved counterbalancing device arranged to relieve the attendant in charge of the harvester from paying constant attention to the position of the elevator relative to the wagon into which the grain is discharged by the elevator, and to prevent the elevator from dropping suddenly and injuring the harvester in case the wagon moves accldentally or purposely out from under the elevator.

In order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a counterbalancing device associated with the flexible support connected with the elevator, the counterbalancing device'being attached to a fixed part of the harvester to intermittently support the elevator in. inclined position and to limit its downward swinging movement.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view 'of the counterbalancing device as applied to the elevator of a grain harvester; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the counterbalancing device in a different position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the counterbalancing device; Fig. 4: is an end view of the same with the supporting bar in cross section; Fig. 5' is an enlarged sectional plan view of the counterbalancing device, the section being on the'line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 66 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a face view of thewrench for yvinding up the spring for turning the pul- The counterbalancing device is shown applied to a'header of usual construction and having a platform A on which is pivoted the lower end of an elevator B for delivering the cut grain into a wagon. G traveling alongside the header and on onerside of which is adapted to rest the under side of the upper portion of the elevator B. When the wagon C moves out from under the elevator B the latter is supported in an inchned position by a counterbalancing device arranged as follows: The upper portion of the elevator B is provided with a loop D carrying a pulley E around Which.

around a number of times on a pulley J to which the end of the rope is secured, as plainly shown in Fig. 5. The hub J of the pulley J is mounted to rotate loosely on a shaft K journaled in a bracket L attached to a bar or rod N forming part of the header frame. As shown in Fig. 1, the bracket L.

is located near the stand N for the operator in charge of the machine, while in Fig. 2 the bracket L forms part of the bearing of the pulley G, but otherwise the construction is the same with the exception that 7 one end of the rope F instead of being attached to the bearing of the pulley G is attached to the rod N at or near the stand Nv for the operator.

A helical spring 0 has its inner end attached to the hub J of the pulley J and the outer end of the said spring 0 is attached to a spring barrel 0 having a hub 0* fastened by a pin 0 to the shaft K. A set .screw P screwing in the bracket L is adapted to engage the hub 0 so as to normally hold the spring barrel 0? and the shaft K from turning. It will be noticed that the pulley J is under the tension of the spring 0 to keep the rope F-taut and in case the wagon C moves out from under the elevator B then the latter can swing down easily a desired distance, that is, according to the length of therope wound on the pulley J. It is understood that when the elevator B swings downward the pulley J is rotated against the'tensio-n of thespring O and when the convolutions of the rope F have all been paid out then the further downward swinging movement of the'elevator B is stopped owing to the fact that the rope F is attached to the pulley J.

More or less tension can be given to the on the pulley G I spring 0 to suit existing conditions and for this purpose one outer end K of the shaft K is made polygonal forengagement by a wrench head K of a wrench K shown in Fig. 7. lVhen the wrench K is applied to the end K the set screw P is unscrewed to allow the operator to turn the shaft K and with it the spring barrel 0 to wind up the spring 0, the pulley G being held against rotation for the time being by ratchet wheels J J 3 formed on the hub J and adapted to be engaged by dogs J J 5 fulcrumed on the bracket L (see Fig. 6). It is understood that after the tension of the spring 0 has been adjusted the set screw P is screwed up to hold the spring barrel 0 and the shaft K against rotation and then the dogs J, J are swung out of engagement with the ratchet wheels J J More or less of the rope F canbewound up on the pulley J to suit existing conditions, and for this purpose the pulley J can be turned by the use of a Wrench head K formed on the wrench K and adapted to engage a polygonal portion J 6 on the hub J of the pulley J.

'From the foregoing it will be seen that when the counterbalancing device is in use the rope F is held taut at all times and allows the elevator B to swing up or down according to the relative positions of the elevator B and the arms (3. WVhen, howheader.

ever, the wagon C moves out from under the elevator Bthen the latter swings downward easily owing to the resistance offered to the rotation of the pulley J by the spring 0 and consequently the elevator B is not liable to swing downward suddenly and injure the It will also be noticed that the downward swinging movement of the elevator B is limited by the length of the rope wound up on the pulley J. By holding the rope F taut it is not liable to become entangled with the working parts of the header as is so frequently the case with the arrangement now in use in which the rope F has to be watched continually and is controlled by the operator in charge of the machine.

By the use of the device the operator can devote his whole attention to the workings of the header without paying any attention to the position of the elevator B.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A counterbalancing device, comprising a flexible support, a pulley on which winds one end of the flexible support, a helical spring having one end attached tothe said pulley, a member to which the other end of the spring is attached, the said member being adapted to be turned relative tothe pulley to place the spring under tension, pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the pulley against rotation while placing the spring under tension and means for normally holding the said member fixed to hold the said flexible support under tension.

A counterbalancing device comprising a rope, a pulley on which winds and unwinds one end of saidrope, a helical spring having one end attached to the said pulley, a spring barrel to which the other end of the spring is attached, a shaft mounted to turn in a fixed part and on which the pulley is loosely mounted, the said spring barrel being fixed to said shaft, the shaft and the spring barrel being adapted to be turned to wind up the said spring, means for holding the pulley against rotation while winding up the spring and fastening means for normally holding the spring barrel and shaft to said fixed part.

3. A counterbalancing device, comprising a rope fixed at one end and adapted for connection with the part to be counterbalanced, a fixed bracket, a shaft mounted on the said bracket, a tension pulley mounted to turn loosely on the said shaft and on which winds the other end of the said rope, a spring barrel fixed on the said shaft adjacent the said tension pulley, a helical spring within the said spring barrel and attached at its outer end to the barrel and at its inner end to the hub of the said tension pulley, the said shaft and spring barrel being adapted to .be turned relative to the pulley to wind up the spring, and means on the said bracket engaging the said springbarrel to hold the latter and its shaft normally against turnmg.

4. A counterbalancing device, comprising a rope attached at one end to a fixed part and connected with the part to be counterbalanced, a fixed bracket, a shaft mounted on the said bracket, a tension {pulley mounted to turn loosely on the said shaft and on which winds the other end of the said rope, a spring barrel fixed on the said shaft adjacent the said tension pulley, a helical spring within the said spring barrel and attached at its outer end to the barrel and at its inner end to the hub of the said tension pulley, the shaft and its spring barrel being adapted to be turned to adjust the tension of the spring, means on the said bracket engaging the said spring barrel to hold the latter and its shaft normally against turning, ratchet wheels on the hub of the said pulley, and pawlsfulcrumed on the bracket and adapted to engage the said ratchet wheels to hold the said pulley against turning when adjusting the tension of said spring. 7

5. A tension device, comprising a fixed bracket, a shaft mounted on the said bracket, a tension pulley mounted to turn loosely on the said shaft and on which is adapted to wind and unwind one end of a rope, a spring barrel fixed on the said shaft adjacentthe said tension pulley and having a hub, a helical spring within the said spring barrel and attached at its outer end to the barrel and at its inner end to the hub of the said tension pulley, the said shaft being adaptedv to be turned to wind up the spring, means on the said bracket engaging the said spring barrel to hold the latter and its shaft normally against turning, ratchet wheels on the hub of the said pulley, and pawls fulcrumed on the bracket and adapted to engage the said ratchet wheels to hold the pulley against rotation while turning the shaft to wind up the spring.

6. A tension device, comprising a fixed bracket, a shaft mounted on the said bracket, a tension pulley mounted to turn loosely on the said shaft and on which is adapted to wind and rewind one end of a rope, the pulley being adapted to be turned to wind up the rope, a spring barrel fixed on the said shaft adjacent the tension pulley,

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the and having a hub, a helical spring within the said spring barrel and attached at one end to the barrel and at the other end to the hub of the tension pulley, the shaft being adapted to be turned to turn the barrel to wind up the spring, ratchet wheels on the hub of the pulley, pawls fulcrumed on the fixed bracket and adapted to engage the said ratchet wheels to hold the pulley against rotation while turning the shaft to wind up the spring, and a set screw on the said bracket adapted to engage the hub of said "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

